Flexibility, Round 3

This round I’m going to talk about training.

Everyone’s lives are busy.  Be it family, friends, a demanding job (or two), time consuming hobbies (oh, I don’t know, like writing novels), a money pit of a house, community events, volunteering or World of Warcraft, schedules are full and free time is tight.

I’m a black belt. I should be practicing way more than I do.  WAY more.  But I don’t. Not because I don’t want to, or because I think it’s a waste of time, but because there are always a fleet of other demands in my life that weasel their way in first.  Most recently the biggest contender has been writing.

When presented with the choice of practicing Kung Fu or writing, I usually chose writing.  Not always, but usually.  Neither option is bad, but I can’t do both at once.

But recently I’ve made a goal to go over whatever I learned in my private lesson once a day.  That way maybe I won’t forget so much between lessons.  And it doesn’t take long.  If no one is in the bathroom at work, I can do it there.  Oh relax, I’m saying that to lead to a point.

Time is precious, and I personally don’t want to waste a bunch of it, so I’ve started to think outside the box with both Kempo and writing.

For writing, I’m trying to figure out when I can squeeze a little bit of outlining in every day.  I could take fifteen minutes right after I get up, do it during lunch at work, talk into a recorder while I drive or when I go walking.

Writing comes to a grinding halt when I haven’t properly outlined and thought through my story, so I’m hoping that this will help keep me going.  If none of the above options work, I’ll get more creative.

So remember to be flexible and keep your mind open to random, bizarre possibilities.  You never know when you’ll find a few precious minutes to jot down an idea.